Nando Garcia is director of events and programming for Downtown Springdale, and we wanted to know what he might pack for a summer picnic.
"I'll probably just get some tacos. Al pastor from maybe taqueria, which is taqueria right next to the park. I definitely probably order some from there and just come out maybe horchata a drink, or I may even go further down. And there's so many great spots that we have for food."
Asking him that question yesterday, the Downtown Springdale Alliance office isn't quite as random as it might seem. This approaching Saturday, Aug. 8, and the three subsequent Saturdays, there will be a community picnic just a few blocks from where Fernando talked with me yesterday. They'll be taking place here at Luther George Park. Nando Garcia says these Picnic in the Park gatherings follow the idea that Saturdays are better outside. These picnics, from 11 until 2 this week and next, and then from 5 until 8 the last two Saturdays of the month, all follow a simple, easy, relaxed format.
"Low lift, super simple. That's the dream. And knowing that there's a third space that we're creating for the community from all walks, from all likes. It's low barrier entry. Just bring food you can go to or one of our restaurants. You can even take advantage of our Outdoor Dining District, which means people can go to a bar and bring a cup that they provide at the bars, outdoor accepted from our area, and bring it to the park. And we're gonna have some vendors, have some other people out there. We'll even have some pop-up thrift stores coming and selling, and it's just going to be a giant picnic, literally and metaphorically. So we're putting together, from a local seamstress, a huge picnic blanket, and it's gonna be 56 blankets right now. And that's just the start. But then we're gonna be expanding on it the more we do this event."
Garcia says the picnics in the park are about connecting. And really, that's it. There's no schedule to follow, no better time than another during the three-hour picnic to be present. Just get your food and show up.
"No certain programming that we're defining in it. It's just putting a blanket on the park, inviting people to come out. We got a high-quality sound system set up for a DJ. DJs will be cycling every week. Different vibes, different music, different genres, ethnicities of music, and definitely going to be pretty special for that too."
He says the picnics at Luther George Park are ultimately a way for people to exhale, slow down and maybe meet somebody you might not have had a chance to talk to during the work week.
"People can come in and connect with someone unlikely that they may not cross paths with on a normal day-to-day, running into a store, running an errand, or things are fast paced. You're going to the gas station. I think about this a lot. I'm at a gas station and there's so many people around me, new person. Every week. We all go to the same thing every week, and we won't really mention anything unless they, hey, nice car or something, but it's really creating it more organic space for them to actually feel like we're connected together. We're all sharing this one blanket, and we can eat and we can look at each other's options and maybe spark conversation. And because there's no turn attention, everyone's facing the same direction of like a stage and seeing a performance or anything. No key entertainment. They're very much instructed the DJ to play background music, not as much lyrics as possible, all strategically to intertwine the blanket. Them themselves are the main attraction. They're the main events, the people coming into it. So they're stepping into an immersive self practicing events that draws attention to the people beside them."
The community picnic idea first began to take shape last fall. Nando Garcia says Downtown Springdale Alliance reached out to downtown businesses to get their thoughts about downtown happenings. He says one message they heard from downtown restaurants and bars was that, well, summer can be tough.
"So that's a whole script we wanted to flip and strategically then planning. How do we do events throughout the summertime that's going to draw people to us? So we had World Cup Live, we have Street Dinner, we have some big events that are happening in the summer. We're going to do some new ideas next summer as well. And to finish out the summer was this series and then being strategic to how we are going to advertise and market this event as well, encouraging people to order to go from our downtown businesses and bring it to the park. And that's just a tradition that we can create for this picnic to be coinciding with our business district. And it's not just our restaurants and bars retail. Like we have a lot of options for people to come and explore, come back to the park, connect with our business owners, our local owners, and a lot of opportunity for our small business and local business to really grow."
The first two picnics beginning this Saturday are from 11 until 2, then Saturday the 22nd, Saturday the 29th, the picnic shift to an evening time from 5 until 8. These picnics are open to anybody, not just Springdale residents. And though the hope is you might strike up a conversation with somebody you've never met, Nando Garcia says introverts will have a good time, too.
"Maybe wondering about the idea of meeting new people. But that's scary to you. You won't be put on the spot. You won't be brought on stage or anything. So even if you came and just tested out the waters of what it looks like to be around other people, to be connected to new people, you're invited. You're so invited. And even if you just came, made your sandwich, ate for a little bit, and just spent time with other people and didn't say a word, that's okay too. That's totally okay. Hopefully you'll come the following week and then you'll come the following week after that. By the end of it, maybe you've made a new friend that beyond August, you guys are staying connected. And that's the dream. Just stepping out of comfort zones and meeting new people and really creating that community around you."
Nando Garcia is director of events and programming for Downtown Springdale, and we spoke yesterday at the Downtown Springdale Alliance office. First picnic in the Picnic in the Park series begins Saturday morning at 11 at Luther George Park in Springdale.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
